Former House speaker Newt Gingrich appears during the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference on March 16, 2013, in National Harbor, Md. / Carolyn Kaster, AP

by Jolie Lee, USA TODAY Network

by Jolie Lee, USA TODAY Network

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich joined the calls to save Arturo, the polar bear protesters say is languishing in the heat and cramped conditions at a zoo in Argentina.

"If you love animals the way I do, you're going to want to sign the petition to save the Argentinian polar bear Arturo. This is very sad, and he should be saved, so sign the petition," Gingrich said in a video posted Wednesday on Facebook.

Gingrich did not link to a petition, but one on Change.org calls for Arturo to be moved from the Mendoza Zoo to the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada. The petition has nearly 190,000 signatures.

People are tweeting with the hashtag #FreeArturo.

For now, Arturo appears to be stuck in Argentina because zoo officials do not have the proper documentation to transfer him. The Canadian government requires at least three years' worth of documents about an animal before it can enter the country, according to The Winnipeg Sun.